A Sunset
by Prowling Pangolin
Summary: A human vessel's worth bright as the golden rays. A beast of destruction crimson in power. Like a sunset, their brilliance lies in the blend of intense colors, they were different but in complement, no matter how much they hated it.


**Story: A Sunset**

**Posting Date: 04/01/2009**

**Summary: A human vessel bright as golden rays. A beast of destruction crimson in power. Like a sunset, their brilliance lies in the blend of intense colors, they were different but in complement. **

**Chapter Title: Kyuubi, Shinigami, and Jinchuuriki**

**Rating: T (May subject to change in future)**

**Special thanks to demonicnargles, my beta reader, for proofreading this for me and putting up with the hassles of DocX.**

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable Naruto characters, settings, etc. are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to any real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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A full moon was out that night; once again it was visible up in the night sky as another pivotal battle in human history took place on the face of the earth. Before, the battle involved a Hokage, a Bijuu, and a Sharingan. This time, it was a different Hokage, the same Bijuu, the same Sharingan user yet with different abilities, and this time various shinobi were present to bear witness to this momentous event. Destruction was evident all around the mighty beast that was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, as it stood on all fours. Fallen trees, debris and piles of dead shinobi could be seen clearly in the light of the flares of red chakra that beast exhaled.

Its nine tails moved around in the air in a way that surviving Leaf-nin would compare to tongues of flame, and its feline eyes, complete with the characteristic slitted pupils, glowed with an eerie red-orange light. Black markings adorned the tip of its ears and claws, and outlined its eyes. The black markings around them looked like wicked flames, as the purple markings around Orochimaru's own eyes easily paled in comparison.

Kyuubi's black claws dug deep into the earth, bracing it for the inevitable attack. He knew he was finished.

**"Never again,"** snarled Kyuubi, as the sealing technique began to take effect.

The Leaf-nin that were still alive hidden in between the trees and on the ground stood stunned, gazing upon Kyuubi. Such a fearsome beast, the embodiment of Nature's wrath was capable of speech?

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, stood on top of his mount, the gigantic boss of toads, Gamabunta. In his arms he cradled his new born son. Beads of sweat trailed down his skin, and, as only he knew, the Shinigami loomed behind, the Hokage's soul firmly in its grasp.

"I wish there were another way, Naruto, Gamabunta." Minato winced as the pain within his body began to intensify. "I really do."

Only a few seconds passed before the giant, nine-tailed fox began to thrash about it agony.

"Just a little longer," Minato gasped out.

**"NEVER AGAIN!!" **bellowed Kyuubi, before it cried out in excruciating pain as its spirit was slowly wrenched out of its body**. "I GIVE YOU MY WORD! NEVER AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN!!!"  
**  
There was a saying, a saying that told of the three greatest painful experiences to ever be felt by a human. Strangely enough, the first pain was a tooth ache. Perhaps that isn't exactly the first thing that any one would ever think of when it comes to pain. One would wonder why the first was a tooth ache indeed. Perhaps the doubt upon the first example of pain was behind the truth of the two.

Pain felt by a woman upon giving birth.

And lastly, pain of a tainted soul being wrenched out the body.

Kyuubi felt the third and most excruciating pain. One that Kyuubi knew very well, since, as a demon, he often heard the tormented screams from the deaths of the wicked.

"Hokage-sama..." the words trailed away as a Leaf-nin stood on top of the highest branch and bore witness to the event.

Some clasped their hands together in prayer, hoping that whatever their Hokage was going to do would succeed in sending the demon away. He was their last hope; if he couldn't stop the menace, they didn't know what would.

The Leaf-nin would forever remember the howl of Kyuubi as its body shook violently, though none attributed the Kyuubi's howl of pain to the agony of having its very essence split asunder. Surpassing every previous ninjutsu, Minato Namikaze split the Kyuubi's Yin and Yang.

With a blinding flash of light, the great nine tailed fox demon disappeared.

The Shinigami cast one last look at the body of the late Hokage_. "Humans..."_ he muttered as he vanished from the mortal plane.

Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, died with a smile that night. Many had died that night, many would commemorate the valiant sacrifice of those who had sacrificed their lives in fighting the strongest of the tailed beasts. They wouldn't know, despite the many coming years ahead where the inhabitants would pray for the dead to rest peace: One soul was definitely not going to rest in peace.

The forbidden technique used to seal the Kyuubi forced the caster and the target to mingle, hate, and battle within the Shinigami. For them, there would be no heaven, and no hell.

For this great hero, however, perhaps fate had shown mercy. He was all alone within the Shinigami.

A dim light lit the surroundings as Kyuubi opened its eyes, regaining consciousness after the shock of being split in two. The mighty beast finally recognized the gigantic prison bars upon sight, and Kyuubi immediately rammed itself upon the gates. The sealing technique of the Fourth Hokage showed its remarkable ability, as the only result was the sound of reverberating metal and ripples across the shallow water of the sewer. Several more attempts met the same failure.

**"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU FOURTH HOKAGE!!"** roared Kyuubi with every slam against the prison gates.

Hours upon hours passed by, the imprisoned beast didn't relent.

"Your efforts are futile, Kyuubi no Youko. For now at least...."

The demon fox stopped upon hearing those words, its eyes glowered upon seeing the one who had spoken them. **"You....."**

"You, of all creatures that have ever had the opportunity to walk upon the surface of this earth, should have known better than to underestimate the tenacity of these humans."  
It was a down right insult, and yet Kyuubi knew its place before the presence of its current visitor.

"This is your most pitiful state yet, Kyuubi no Youko," the entity came from the shadows, "perhaps you will let that arrogance of yours cost you even more than this in the future?"

Such utter silence from Kyuubi in return actually made the visitor smile, the tailed beast would have no other word to ever describe the entity, one noun alone was enough to explain and simplify everything about it.

Death.

The Shinigami, the god of death forever tasked with taking the souls and spirits in the living world to the after life was now floating in front the prison gates. Its white robes wafted as if a fine breeze was ever present within the bleak sewer, the hem of the robes never once came close to coming in contact with shallow water's surface.

Kyuubi's next words were spoken slow and clear, yet laced with contempt with every syllable it uttered, **"Why did you help that loathsome human?"**

"The exact opposite reason I spared your spirit, Kyuubi no Youko. He offered his soul, a noble human soul unlike any other," answered the Shinigami as it hovered closer to the gates as if unaware that the Kyuubi could reach its claws between the bars. "He was formidable human, don't you think?"

Kyuubi didn't seem to care as the Shinigami grew in size, enlarged itself as big as the space within the sewer allowed it to.

"Remember why you are here, Kyuubi no Youko. You were subdued time and time again," emphasized the Shinigami.

Those words stung the pride of greatest of all the tailed beasts, Kyuubi took heed silently, a sight that no other creature would ever get the opportunity to see.

"Your true strength was never the power you've always held since the day I've spared your spirit," continued on the god. "Perhaps you have forgotten. You were the most cunning of your kind, truly cunning enough to use nothing but only words to persuade, convince me to bargain with you."

It had been a long time, such a long time... the sly grin that formed from the demon fox's hackles was not because of the pride of its power. Kyuubi retreated into the darkness of its confinement, away from the dim lights that lit the sewers. Instead of roaring with insults, deep rumbling chuckles echoed through the pipes.

Twelve years later...

The vessel of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto was happy, no...he was ecstatic, as he can't remember ever truly having this feeling before. Not for his love for ramen or pulling pranks. So many things had changed after just one night, things he just couldn't believe had seen, heard, done, or become.

He had actually stolen the Forbidden Scroll right from the Third Hokage.

He had just heard that he was the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

He had made over a hundred shadow clones and actually beaten Mizuki down.

He had passed, Iruka had told him he had passed, earning himself a Konoha head protector.

But most of all, to him, he was acknowledged by Iruka. He wasn't shunned, he wasn't called a monster.

It had been quite the night, having spent a good amount of time simply trying to learn how to perform the Kage Bunshin and the whole dealing with Mizuki. Both Naruto and Iruka came to see the old Hokage, made some apology on Naruto's part with much assistance from Iruka, returned the Forbidden Scroll, and then walked back to their homes. Naruto was too excited to sleep.

"I actually graduated..." Naruto trailed off as he stared at the metal plate that had the Konoha symbol on it.

Despite being the same age as his peers, he was actually much earlier into the Academy and had indeed failed the Academy's graduation exam three times.

**"Well good for you,"** a deep voice was clearly heard, as if someone was saying those words right near Naruto's ears.

Blue eyes widened, and Naruto whirled around in surprise.

But there was no one there.

"Who said that?" Naruto looked around, he never heard such voice before.

Silence ensued, there was no answer, and he had second thoughts whether if he even wants to know who it was.

Naruto gripped the head band tight in his right hand, still unsure of what in the world had just happened. With one last glance, he then placed the Konoha head band on the table in front of a mirror.

**"Pathetic."**

Naruto turned around once more, and again he saw no one, no presence, not that he could detect anyways.

"Come out! Whoever or wherever you are. Stop hiding!" shouted Naruto.

**"Hiding? Why would I bother hiding? Especially from something like you?!"** countered back the bloodcurdling voice, louder than ever.

Naruto felt as if his heart skipped a beat, realizing that it was his reflection in the mirror this whole time. It looked liked him, but it definitely didn't sound like him. It didn't mimic his every move like any reflection in any mirror would.

**"Took you long enough, brat,"** the reflection spoke.

Naruto stared at the mirror, he could see the clone talking to him from within the mirror. It could hardly be called a reflection seeing as that clone's image wasn't being reflected onto the mirror. Exact in every way down to the smallest detail, all except the inhuman voice that Naruto could hear.

It didn't really scare Naruto, he knew he was braver than that. "Who are you?"

Various thoughts raced through Naruto's head. Nothing solid enough for him to go on in deciding what exactly was going. Was he hallucinating? Was he sleep deprived? He had stayed up all night without falling asleep a few times right before weekends, but this never occurred. Was this some sort of effect of performing the Kage Bunshin'? Was that why the technique was forbidden in the first place? Perhaps it was because he was different from everyone else?

**"Who am I? Can't you tell?"** the image of Naruto's clone sneered. It came closer, and then had its blue eyes turned into crimson red. The pupils retracted into vertical-slits, and the image bared its teeth and elongated the canines.

"Y...You...you're Kyuubi?" guessed Naruto.

**"GWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"** Kyuubi's sudden laughter startled Naruto even more, "At least you are not a total idiot. I guess there's still hope for you yet."

Naruto didn't back away instead he took more steps towards the mirror.

"What's so funny?" Naruto gritted his teeth, the next thing he knew he was raving the words that came to his mind. "You messed up my life!"

**"**_**I**_** messed up your life?"** Kyuubi chucked, **"Did you really think I'm the only one to be blamed for your utter miserable little life? If there was anyone to be blame for that, then blame it on that accursed Fourth Hokage who trapped me inside you!!"**

"He died protecting the village from you! I can't hate him for that. I'd never-"

Kyuubi laughed once more, this began to get on Naruto's nerves.

**"Never?! You haven't even considered that little fact. Deep down you hate it! It doesn't the change the fact that he did what he did, brat! No one else did it, no one else could have done it."** replied Kyuubi with its own tenacity.

"Oh yeah? Well it doesn't change that you're the bastard fox that attacked the village!" shouted back Naruto.

With clenched fists, he asked, "Why are you here anyway? You bastard fox."

**"Only here to finally see you, to see how pathetic you really look, you brat,"** sneered Kyuubi**. "Twelve years since the seal that accursed Fourth Hokage placed upon you and me. You would be far much weaker if it weren't for me, brat. And now...It has finally come to a point where there's enough of my chakra within you for you to see and hear me..."  
**  
Kyuubi seemed to have chosen his words well for some reason.

Naruto didn't like the way Kyuubi explained the fox's own chakra mixing with his own. Kyuubi chuckled again, if Naruto could see Kyuubi's true form as it lay imprisoned behind the prison bars then the blond wouldn't bother with the question. But then again, freedom hadn't exactly be the main goal that the demon fox wanted to achieve, it hadn't been so for a while. **"For now, I think I'll just watch you as you live out your so called life. You, and only you, can see me in this feeble form of yours, no one else. Or are you that much of an idiot not being able to understand that?"**

**"You're naive, brat. So very naive,"** the Naruto image could tell what the blonde was thinking. **"Don't bother telling that Hokage about me and our little encounter. But it might amuse me to see you try only to fail miserably."  
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"What's that suppose to mean?"

**"Use that head of yours,"** Kyuubi was slowly being irritated not by the questions, but the stupid questions**, "Who is to say nobody else would ever find out that you sought that Hokage's help? About this little meeting? They don't acknowledge you, they acknowledge me, and to some they acknowledge you as me. In their eyes, you are the monster that killed their friends and families. If they were given any excuse to think you were being influenced by a demon..."** Kyuubi let the threat hang.

Naruto remembered Mizuki's exact words, and then Iruka's. Mizuki told him he was the vessel of the nine tailed fox demon, and yet at times acted as if Naruto was Kyuubi itself.

**"You've always hated the loneliness that is your hell,"** continued on Kyuubi. **"But not once have you ever thought of taking away your life to escape it. Now, would you stand and let them kill you simply because of their ignorance?"  
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No words were spoken from Naruto.

**"You are alive only because of that Third Hokage. They would kill you if they were ever given the chance. Go ahead and tell this little meeting that leader of yours, give them another reason to doubt you right after you have stolen that scroll. What would happen then? Hope that Third Hokage will help you? He can't."** Kyuubi came closer. **"Even if he could, it wouldn't matter. They'll grow suspicious of you, they won't trust you, they'll kill you."**

"And you'll die with me," replied Naruto.

**"Not if I kill them first,"** Kyuubi chuckled.

Naruto laughed in return, "And how are you going to do that? You stupid fox. You're sealed inside me, remember?"

**"I could always make you do it,"** answered Kyuubi, its red eyes glowed menacingly.

"Like that would happen,"

**"It already has,"** with that, Kyuubi began to disappear, Naruto helplessly watched as his clone evaporated.

Something enlightened Naruto's room, the blond boy turned to see through the window a monstrous fire burning many buildings and houses. Naruto quickly got off his bed, only to realize his foot stepped on something.

It was a body. Umino Iruka's dead body.

**"Now it seems befitting with the name 'The Land of Fire', right? Brat**?" whispered Kyuubi. **"Shall we move on and kill the rest of them?"**

Naruto gasped upon waking upright from the nightmare, the childish black dog night cap was on his head, his pajamas wet from sweat as if he had been running a mile in them, back on his bed. Deep pants of breath followed, he looked around only to realize he was on his bed and it was night time. Gone were the rays of daylight, replaced only the darkness within his room. The palm of Naruto's right hand ran over his face and up onto his blond hair. The night cap fell off as Naruto ran his hand through his hair all the way to the back of his neck for some reason.

"Just a dream...It was just a dream...just a dream..." said Naruto to himself, the pants in between began to subside.

**"Just a dream...was it?"**

It was Kyuubi's fox again, in the form of Umino Iruka all bloodied as he leaned against the door frame. Naruto then stared in horror at his own hands and the sleeves of his pajamas all covered in blood.  
Iruka panted, "I was wrong.... You're not a member of the Hidden Village...You're not Uzumaki Naruto..."

Naruto's hands began to shake as he simply sat there on his bed.

"I should have let Mizuki kill you."

Tears began to form in the twelve year old boy's eyes.

"You're not Naruto.... You are the Kyuubi no Youko."

With that, Iruka convulsed before he collapsed upon the bedroom floor.

**"You won't have to bother yourself with me trying to escape and hurting your 'precious people'. Right now you're weak, so pathetically weak that I will be amusing myself just watching you grow."**

Sky blue eyes opened once more, he was back on his bed, but this time it wasn't dark like it had been in the dream. The sun had already risen, the birds were chirping, everything was just as it usually was for the usual morning in the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto looked around cautiously, hesitantly got off his bed, and slowly approached the mirror. All he saw was his reflection, no red eyes, no independent movement, just mimicking his every move like any reflected image off the mirror's surface normally would.

Naruto shook his head vigorously as he wouldn't let the matter affect him, not anymore. Perhaps this was what Kyuubi wanted him to think, to react, and he wasn't going to go along with it. With a glance at the mirror and table where his forehead protector was place, Naruto was going with what he had planned for the day.

"Right, I have to get my picture taken and send some paper to old man Hokage," Naruto told himself.

Everything seemed to be going along just fine, except the few moments where Naruto always seemed troubled whenever he looked at his reflection in the mirror. It was when Naruto quickly brushed his teeth in the bathroom and the time when he checked himself in front of the mirror.

Time and time again through the whole time the young Leaf-nin walked to the office, he reminded himself that meeting Kyuubi didn't matter. Nothing really changed. The picture was going to be taken at the rooftop right where anyone can have one of the best views of the Hokage Monument. But the Hokage Monument didn't matter, since having it done at the place was simply convenient for the registration and submission to the Hokage.

"Hey kid. You okay?" asked the photographer, a bald old man wearing glasses, who was already slouching behind the camera set on the tripod.

"Huh?" Naruto broke out from his daze, who currently sat on a chair. "Oh yeah, fire way, mister,"

"Okay then. One, two, three..." counted the camera.

Naruto somehow managed a smirk, just as the camera flashed.

The old man had thought he would have trouble taking the boy's picture, apparently it went just fine, a bit distracted, but fine. Despite Naruto's insistence, he somehow got the feeling things had changed.

If Naruto was his exuberant self, he would have taken three whole hours just figuring how exactly he would have his picture taken. He would have ended up with himself all silly with a Kumadori make up, the brightly colored stripes or patterns painted upon the white foundation much like Kabuki actors. That in turn would cause the Third Hokage to tell him to get his picture taken again.

But none of those things happened.

Naruto simply got his picture taken without any hassle.

Twelve whole years Naruto's life had been affected by Kyuubi's existence inside him with the Kyuubi never directly affecting him. Those times had come to an end. The time of Naruto's having his life changed with the Kyuubi directly affecting him was just beginning.

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